By Lara Becker
There are swimming pools, and then there are luxury pool getaways. It takes a step outside the box to create something unique in an outdoor space — perhaps a pool made up of its own separate rooms, with a private plunge pool, day bed, wet bar, and mood lighting will do?
Meet Paul Weinberg and John Fair, a landscape architect and developer bringing a new meaning to the word “pool.” Weinberg and Fair are in the process of bringing their ideas to life for The Strand, a hidden retreat in the pristine islands of Turks and Caicos, complete with personal villas, residences and custom home sites for sale. On top of 2,230 feet of private shoreline, each home on The Strand will have a luxury pool, most of which will sit right on the edge of the ocean.
“The pool is the culmination of the outdoor experience,” notes Weinberg.
In order to achieve this experience, Weinberg and Fair implemented infinity edges, jade green native Sukabumi stone, fire pits and floating daybeds in the blueprints for each of the residences on the property.
Interestingly, the pools also feature different partitions or rooms: a sunken plunge pool, a lap swimming lane, waterfall section, and portions for your wet bar and daybed.
One of their other favorites to discuss is the mood lighting: “There is a low glow that emanates from the house out, for low-mood lighting. We wanted to use intentional design instead of spotlights,” Weinberg said.
But through and through, Fair also values an emphasis on incorporating elements of the environment, mainly through the indigenous, coral stone and the presence of the iron shore waterfront.
“This brings honesty and integrity, which is very important and gives it a timeless feel,” Fair says.
Also taking advantage of gorgeous environmental settings in an international locale is Boca do Lobo, a craftsmanship giant that originated in 2005, who, alongside NA Architects, curated a stunning pool space outside of an interior design project of theirs in Jubilee Hills, India.
Titled the “Eco Friendly IGBC Green House,” this gallery-type pool is centered around open-air spaces that aim to take in as much natural light as possible, says Boca do Lobo of the home.
“Surrounded by stone, this pool design is absolutely unique,” they say. “It perfectly fits the project aesthetic, as it has a simple, natural vibe, but it also gives an exclusive and luxurious touch to the outside.”
As any good pool does, here you can see that it truly is an extension of the themes from inside of the home. Boca do Lobo notes that the pool’s best features are its ability to create a very private feel for your soak, as well as its offerings once the sun sets: a beautiful lighting set alongside the waterfall boosts the perfect mood at night.
Other luxury pool designers include Soake Pools, a family-run New England business spearheaded by co-founders Karen and Brian Larson. Operating since 2014, Soake Pools are intended to withstand any kind of weather from snow to rain to sun — co-founder Karen Larson says many of their clients step into their custom pools year round, and cherish it as a statement of their homes.
“We believe that the pool itself should be a centerpiece,” Larson notes. “Our pools become a piece of art within the landscape.”
Each Soake Pool is fully tiled on every surface, and the exterior is finished onsite by landscape professionals in order to blend smoothly into the surrounding area. To further reinforce this natural feel, her landscape partners often use local materials, which give each pool a stronger personal resonance and appearance.
Architect David Montalba also aims to set the perfect mood: taking celebrity status and turning it into an elegant outdoor space. He crafted an impressive poolside courtyard for the flagship store for The Row on Melrose Place, a high-end retail store owned by the Olsen twins in Los Angeles, California.
In the conception of this space, Montalba embodied the elements of California Modernism by seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor spaces. He did this flawlessly through floor-to-ceiling glass partitions with sliding doors that lead from the back of the store to the outdoor space containing a simplistic shallow pool and greenery.
The Montalba Team describes the details that bring the outdoors in and vice versa: “Natural light floods into the galleries flanking both sides of the pool through operable floor-to-ceiling structural glass doors and a new 25-footlong skylight,” he notes.
No matter which direction you take, these designers agree that the pool space is a focal point for a home, or even a business space. Larson sums it up best: “Pools become a destination, a gathering place, as well as an oasis for cooling off, or heating up!” she says.